Libyan parliament calls for UN intervention over factional fighting

BENGHAZI, Libya - Libya's new parliament on Wednesday voted to call on the United Nations to intervene to protect citizens and institutions after a month of clashes among rival armed factions.

Libya is facing its worst violence since the 2011 civil war that ended Muammar Gaddafi's rule, as rival militias turn parts of Tripoli into battlefields and foreign governments evacuate their embassies, fearing a slide into chaos.

The parliament voted overwhelmingly to call for United Nations help, without giving details of what that might involve. The UN and Western partners have tried to persuade Libya's factions to work together to end conflicts.